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Friday, October 31, 2014

I'm just about to sign off the blog for a little while as I have a few days at home and then I'll be boarding the Carnival Legend cruise ship for an amazing cruise holiday around the South Pacific Islands!

My first day of holidays at home is put aside for some pampering at the day spa, it has been far to long since I've treated myself and I can't wait. Of course a mandatory sleep in and breakfast in bed is booked in too!

An espresso and fruit bread my kind of breakfast in bed!

It's also the first Melbourne Cup in about 6 years that both Mr P and I aren't working, usually I'm organising a function at work so I'm excited to have it off this year. We plan to spend the day at Ascot race track, having a flutter on the races, drinking champagne and soaking up the sunshine.

While we're away we have a house sitter staying over who loves to dog sit as well and absolutely spoils Lexi. We will have an extra dog staying too so Lexi and Fabio had a play date last weekend to make sure they'd get along.

I think Lexi has found her dog/boyfriend there was slobber everywhere and tails wagging and then falling into bed exhausted, a sure sign they are going to have a fantastic time together!

Our Lexi and her doggy friend Fabio

I have been given some great travel accessories to take on holiday to review and write about on my return home which I'm so excited about!

I've also been loaned (pretty please can't I keep them?!) an ASUS tablet and laptop to take as my travel companions to keep us entertained and better yet will mean I can keep in touch on social media - so be sure to follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook,Instagram and Twitter.

I'll be back to blog about our travel adventures soon!Take care and have fun xx

Thursday, October 30, 2014

If you're looking for a dinner party dish to impress your guests then a serve of this rich and decadent pasta is perfect.

With only a few ingredients, it's fairly quick and easy to prepare because it's all about the smoked salmon. I smoked my salmon at home in my awesome Bradley Smoker but I'm sure it would taste just as good with quality store bought smoked salmon.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

For the third year in a row now Mr P and I are partaking in a My Kitchen Rules (yes like the TV show!)dinner party with friends and family - you can view our menu from previous years here and here.

This time we are going with an Italian themed menu and did a trial run of the entree, main and dessert last weekend to see if they are worthy dishes to serve to our MKR guests. The dessert needs a bit of tweaking, making sweets is not my strong point but I'm really happy with the other dishes.

Now that I'm feeling relaxed about the food I can focus on the decor and setting the table which is what I love to do! I found a set of burlap linen place mats for a steal at $4 a set and I'm going to base the tablescape around them and turning to Pinterest as always for inspiration ......

How would you decorate the table for an Italian themed dinner?I will share the menu plan and recipes with you after the party!

Monday, October 27, 2014

Jaye Ford is an Australian author and this is her fourth suspense novel. Jaye is a former news and sport journalist and is now a writer of crime fiction. She lives in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales.

This is a murder mystery and suspense story about the main character Jax who becomes a young widow and single Mum to her little girl Zoe, when her husband dies in unusual circumstances.

Jax finds herself caught up in another murder mystery when a random stranger carjacks her and this is the story about her obsession to find the truth and solve the crime using her journalism experience.

This story is fast paced, action packed, exciting and from the very first page until the last it kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen to Jax and whether she would solve the mystery and come out of it alive.

The story is set in Newcastle, Australia and the descriptions of the cafes, beaches and bush were spot on I could see the scenes set in my mind like a movie.

I recommend this book to fans of suspense, mystery and thrillers, you will enjoy this modern read.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than read this again3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Friday, October 24, 2014

When it comes to getting the biggest bang for our buck when renovating - rendering the ugly old 1960s bricks at the front of the house wins hands down.

The render instantly lifted the house and makes it look modern and it hides our brick garage extension we built on and looking at the house now you would think it had been built like that, not an add on.

Before any renovations

After - Render, new roof and garage extension

Cost wise to render the front of our house was less than $2,500 - this was for the render's labour (which we got at mates rates because he's a friend). It also includes the sand, lime and cement which we provided and hiring a scaffold which we organised to keep costs down further.

Mr P also helped out the renderer where he could, more hands make light work as they say! I also did my part and supplied lunch and cold drinks because if you keep your tradies happy while they're working they are going to do a fantastic job!

We also need to render before we build a deck out here, which will run the length of the back from the laundry door across to the french doors. Another reason we are keen to get this done is because sitting on the deck with a glass of wine in hand has been a dream for about 5 years now since the very day we moved in!

Back of the house - With dining room window

Window turned into a door way with french doors

To render the walls we need to remove anything attached to them, this includes the sides and roof of the rickety old wooden bridge that goes from the laundry to the Granny Flat. We can't rip the whole bridge down because it's the only way to get into the Granny Flat which is set up high off the ground.

We will also cut off the brick window ledges so that the render is sleek and smooth around all the windows that will then sit flush against the brick work, this also makes it much easier for the renderer.

We might try to paint all the new eaves while we have the scaffold hired as well, as that job has been put off for a few years now .... Can you imagine painting the underside of the eaves along the entire house? It's going to take forever!

The bridge from the laundry into the Granny Flat

The brick ledges around the windows will be cut off

We have booked in our renderer for late November to render the back of the house and I can't wait to see how it will look when it's all finished.

I will keep you posted with lots of juicy before and afters throughout the project. The best way to see our renovations as they happen is to follow Jarrah Jungle on Facebook and Instagram.

This time around I'm going with my parents and Mr P - just the four of us and my parents are still very young at heart so I think there will be many late nights shaking our groove thang at the nightclubs or winning in the casino!

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This will be us - pass me a cocktail!

We found a fantastic last minute deal that was too good to resist with bonus onboard credit yes please!

The cruise is a fairly short one 8 nights so we don't have to take too much time off work or be away from our furbaby Lexi too long, although our dog sitter/house sitter absolutely spoils her rotten so she probably won't miss us at all!
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Our cruise ship - The Carnival Legend

We are cruising on the Carnival cruise line which moved to Aussie waters in September and will now call Sydney, Australia home. Our ship is the Carnival Legend which has had an "Aussiefication" to suit the Aussie's taste of food and wine so it'll be interesting to see what it's like onboard.

The cruise leaves from Sydney and goes to the South Pacific Islands Mare, Loyalty Islands and Noumea in New Caledonia. I've been to Loyalty Islands and Noumea before on the Pacific Jewel and the Voyager of the Seas cruise and they are the perfect places to relax, kick back and have a tropical holiday.
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Mare - New Caledonia

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Loyalty Islands - Lifou

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Noumea - New Caledonia

Now my readers will know by now that I absolutely love cruise holidays and I'm really looking forward to a break from renovating the house, my office job and to just get away from it all.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

I've always been a bit intimidated by whole artichokes and have only ever eaten the jar variety on pizzas and antipasto platters. So when I saw them in season at the veggie store for only 50 cents and people were walking away with an arm full of them I figured I better see what the fuss is about and try them for myself.

Turning to my trusty Australian Women's Weekly Slow Cooking Recipe Book I slow cooked the artichokes and then stuffed them and put them in the oven until golden. I changed the recipe by adding more flavour to the stock they cooked in and stuffing them rather than serving the crumb on the side.

This is my altered version of the recipe .... the artichokes were delicately flavoured and the crumb added a delicious flavour and texture.

2. Place artichokes upside down and tightly pack into a slow cooker (I used ramekins to hold in place). Pour in the water, chicken stock and lemon juice and add garlic and bay leaf. Cook, covered, on low for 8 hours.

3. Remove artichokes with a slotted spoon and allow to drain. Leave to cool so you can stuff them.

4. Make stuffing by heating olive oil in a frying pan and add garlic and anchovies stirring until anchovy softens. Add breadcrumbs and lemon rind and cook until crumbs are browned lightly and crisp. Remove from heat and add Romano cheese, parsley and season to taste with cracked pepper (I didn't add salt as the anchovies were salty enough!).

5. Using a teaspoon carefully stuff the artichokes between each layer of leaves and finish by piling stuffing on top. Grate some extra cheese on top.

6. Place the artichokes in the oven for about 10 minutes at 170 degrees until golden.

Samantha Verant was born in Los Angeles, USA and now lives in France with her sexy French rock scientist and two step kids. Samantha has written a children's book and this memoir.

This is a memoir written by 40 year old Samantha as she finds herself in a loveless marriage, with no job or money and a pile of debts. Samantha finds seven love letters from a holiday romance in France some 20 years earlier and decides to track down her Frenchman Jean-Luc.

Just like a fairytale Samantha the American Princess and Jean-Luc the French frog find each other again and fall in love and with each page turned you are taken on their whirlwind romance together. Of course this is a real life memoir so there are bumps in the road, it's realistic and relateable and that's what made this such a great read.

This was such a beautiful story full of hope and promise. I really liked their travels through France and back to America, so much history, culture, food and wine, I felt like I was on the adventure them them, albeit a third wheel at times!

I recommend this book to romantics and anyone who is not happy in their relationships, I hope it shows you the light to see that life is too short to be unhappy when you could be living a happy and fulfilling life if only you take a chance.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than read this again3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this read5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Disclosure: NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote their book and I was given this eBook published by Random House Australia, Bantum Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

I always look forward to an interstate getaway to escape from Perth for a few days. After the 4-5 hour flight it's so nice to have a hotel room all to myself, 24 hour room service, a hot bubble bath, and no house work to do!

I'm staying in Darling Harbour which is the perfect place to walk around and check out the cafes along the water. I'm hoping for some sunny warm weather ..... c'mon Spring do your thing!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

I nearly didn't get to read this book because it's so popular (probably because it's been made into a movie which was in cinemas when we were reading the book) and a month on and I'm still waiting for the book which I reserved from the library! Luckily my Book Club buddie lent me her copy so I could read it before the book club meet up - you don't want to go to book club without reading the book you feel like the naughty kid in class who didn't finish your homework!

Divergent is a story about an American community which is formed and separated into 5 factions. The factions are determined by your characteristics in an attempt to create a perfect society. When you turn 16 years old you get to choose the faction you want to belong in, but this also means leaving your family and friends behind.

The main character Beattrice (Tris) makes the decision to leave her family's faction and join another. Tris is inducted into her new faction, she makes friends and enemies, there's fights and dares to build up her strength and courage, and her journey of self discovery as she works out who she is and where she belongs.

I liked all the characters, even the bullies, I thought they were portrayed brilliantly. The romance between Tris and Four was pretty saucy and added a lot of interest too.

I really enjoyed this book, ok I kind of loved it and finished it in just 4 days! The story line was so interesting I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen - whether Tris would make it into her faction and more importantly whether Tris and Four would end up together!

This book is the first of three in the series and so the story ends in a way that leaves you hanging to find out what will happen next. That's the downside of a trilogy, you need to keep on reading all the books to get closure.

I recommend this book to sci-fi and fantasy readers and to young adults. It's a trilogy so be warned you may be drawn in to read the rest of them!

I give this book 5 out of 5
stars

Jarrah Jungle's Star
Rating:1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel
sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again2 Not Good - I'd rather watch re-runs of Neighbours than
read this again3 Ok - I'm sitting on the
fence - its not great but not terrible either4 Good - I'd pass up a pack of tim tams for this
read5 Great - I'd pass up a date with
Johnny Depp for this read

Friday, October 10, 2014

I've realised in all the excitement of finishing the kitchen and dining room renovation last year that I didn't end up doing a final cost breakdown of this room and thought you guys might be interested to know what a kitchen renovation costs.

We installed a custom made quality kitchen with all cabinetry having soft closing doors and drawers and granite bench tops.

We also choose top brand appliances, although our only regret is we didn't pay the extra for the pyrolytic oven if we did it again we would so that the oven cleans itself!

My favourite feature in the kitchen is the bin drawer which is a huge double bin in a drawer that pulls out in one movement and then you close it and it's hidden away so nobody knows it's there - it cost $500 extra but it is worth every cent.

The reason we are renovating our home is to make it more livable and comfortable for us and also to increase the value of the property for when it comes time to sell it. We have not renovated this home just to sell it, if we did our budget would be a lot less so our profits would be higher.

Where we saved money was to do as much of the labour and DIY as we can ourselves and this enabled us to afford all the bells and whistles.

We stuck to the rule that you should not spend more than 5% of the purchase price on a kitchen renovation - our budget was $25,000 and we spent $22,526.25.

What isn't included in this budget because I keep it as a separate budget item is the cost of paint, new doors and handles, plumber and furniture.

I have a spreadsheet with a budget for all our renovations and projects - It's essential for keeping track of our expenses so we can rein them in when we need to, spend more on some rooms and make savings in others.

You can see our bathroom renovation budget break down here - we set ourselves a budget of $10,000 and it came in at $8,865.60.

The laundry renovation budget was $5,000 and so far we have spent just over $3,000 so there's a bit of a saving there as well which is great.

How do you manage the cost of renovating or projects around the home ...... Spreadsheets, lists, or something else?

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

I'm just dying to share with you how the Laundry/Toilet Renovation is coming along and have been posting snippets on my Facebook and Instagram but don't want my blog readers to miss out so here is a progress post now that we are up to the painting stage - this is the exciting part where we transform our boring beige laundry into something modern and inviting.

Let's talk paint colours - For the laundry room I wanted a modern grey that was light and bright but has some depth. Now for the tricky part finding the perfect shade of grey .... I went back to the Dulux colour booklets I used as inspiration for the exterior paint project last time and turned to the interior colours with a grey colour scheme.

I also grabbed a bunch of colour chips from my local Bunnings and stuck them on the wall so I could work out what shade of grey would look good in the room at different times of the day and night.

Dulux - Grey Pail

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Dulux, Grey Pailwas the winner for me - It's one of the lighter greys and has a clear bright finish without a blue/green/purple base that you get with a lot of greys.

Now thanks to Dulux for supplying the paint for this project, all I had to do was collect the supplies and take them home to get stuck into some painting!

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Of course before we could get slap happy on the walls we had to make sure that everything was properly prepped and all the walls and ceiling were plastered, sanded and washed.

It is so important to prepare your walls first or you'll be wasting all your time and effort because the paint won't look as good, it won't last and will most likely peel off.
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Every Roller Queen needs a bit of decoration!

For the walls we used an undercoat paint first Dulux Prepcoat - Primer, Sealer and Undercoat because we had plastered the walls they were powdery and porous and this sealer binder helps the top coat of paint bond to the walls.

This paint is oil based and a bit smelly so we had to wear masks while using it, the smell lasted for about 48 hours which wasn't too bad. Dulux make both oil and water based paints but for an undercoat we find the oil based paint is better. For all top coats we use water based for easier clean up and the smell isn't as strong.
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Dulux Prepcoat

For the wall colour we used Dulux Wash and Wear Kitchen and Bathroom (Low Sheen) in Grey Pailwhich is a special paint for wet areas like the laundry which can get damp and gives 7 years mould protection.

As mentioned, we picked water based paint because it has a low odour and is so much easier to clean up the brushes and yourself when paint drips and flicks everywhere!

This is how Grey Pail looks during the day with lots of natural sunlight

For the ceiling we used the Dulux Wash and Wear Kitchen and Bathroom Ceiling in Flat White which again is a special paint for wet areas with mould protection and comes in a flat white so it hides imperfections and gives good coverage.

We picked this in water base as well so it was easy to clean up. It's always a good idea to wear safety glasses when painting the ceiling so the paint doesn't flick in your eyes.

Prepping the ceiling for painting

Once our newly tiled floor was protected and the flat pack cabinets covered, we were ready to paint everything. This is my favourite part of the project because it means it's almost done and a new paint colour makes all the difference.

We started with the undercoat paint and applied it to any areas that we had plastered and sanded so that the top coat of paint would stick to it - this was pretty much all the walls so big areas we used a roller and smaller areas we used a paint brush.

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Mr P painting on the undercoat .... wearing a mask because it's a bit smelly!

It was a few weeks until we were ready to paint again as we decided to do a DIY ceiling lift on our sagging ceiling using some metal plaster washers. We then had to plaster, sand, wash the ceiling and walls AGAIN and then we were ready to paint over the old yellowing ceiling and give it a new lease of life.

Usually 2 coats of paint would be enough but we ended up doing 3 coats for the ceiling paint because you could still see the plaster where we had put in the ceiling washers.

Then a roller made light work of the rest of the ceiling

We waited for the tiler to come and finish off the splash back tile and kick tile as we didn't want him to make a mess of our lovely freshly painted walls with the grout and everything.

Once the tiling was completed we were ready to put some paint on the walls and let me tell you I was absolutely jumping around with anticipation to see how the new paint colour would look.

Mr P is the cutting in King while I'm the roller Queen

Apart from the high parts that I can't reach!

Laundry cupboard done

Admiring our work and loving the new colour!

So that's our painting progress to date - we still have more painting to do in here the toilet ceiling and walls (as we decided to do a ceiling lift in this room as well just last weekend) and then we have all the door frames and new doors and window frames to paint.

I'll share the progress of the rest of the painting in another blog post once we've finished.

What do you think of the wall colour Grey Pail?Sharing with link
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Welcome to Jarrah Jungle, a blog about the adventures of renovating a 1960s house and turning it into a home. This is my place to share all things homely, DIY, decorating, recipes and entertaining. When I’m not renovating I write regular book reviews and travel musings. Thanks for stopping by!

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